Regulation

Latest in Regulation

Suppliers will have to provide a clear breakdown of third-party broker fees to business customers, under new rules tabled by Ofgem. The move is among a suite of protections Ofgem is proposing for the business retail market. Other changes include expanding the remit of suppliers’ complaint handling rules so that all small businesses – with fewer than 50 employees – can take disputes to the Energy Ombudsman.
News
Following a recent roundtable with regional mayors, Ofgem chief executive Jonathan Brearley gives his thoughts on accelerating the transition to net zero at a local level. Writing for Utility Week, Brearley argues that there is a “once in a generation opportunity to transform the way energy is planned and delivered at a local and national level”.
Opinion
Companies which install net zero measures such as heat pumps should be subject to a single accreditation scheme, like the GasSafe mark, Citizens Advice has suggested. The consumer charity has warned that the net zero transition is at risk unless the government cracks down on rogue traders and gives consumers more protections.
News
Ofgem has urged suppliers to do more to help tackle increasing levels of energy theft. The regulator has written an open letter to all suppliers reminding them of their obligations to identify and confirm cases of energy theft. The estimated cost of energy theft in Great Britain is estimated between £830 million to £1.38 billion per year.
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National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) has set itself a “challenging” go-live date of 1 January 2025 to implement its “first ready, first connected” connections reforms. The ESO has confirmed that it is progressing with its recommended model to tackle the connections queue backlog, which now stands at 420GW of generation projects seeking to connect.
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Northern Powergrid has issued revised grid connection offers under an industry initiative designed to speed up the connections queue, in what is being billed as an industry first. Using delegated technical limits, the distribution network operator (DNO) expects to be able to accelerate the connection of up to 4.4GW of battery storage and generation schemes, which is enough electricity to power more than 10 million homes.
News
Local leaders representing almost a third of the UK’s population have backed Ofgem’s proposals for regional planning reform, the regulator has revealed. A policy summit with representatives from areas such as Greater Manchester, Liverpool and London, was recently hosted by Ofgem’s chief executive Jonathan Brearley and sought to accelerate local planning reform to help achieve the UK’s net zero targets.
News
Ofgem has approved a modification to the Grid Code that will further protect critical sites from being disconnected during emergency load shedding. The decision will allow distribution network operators to exclude protected sites such utilities, hospitals and railways from the second tranche of demand they disconnect when instructed to do so by the Electricity System Operator.
News
A slight dip in the number of designated bathing areas being classified as excellent or good this year has been attributed by the Environment Agency to an unseasonably wet summer. Overall, 96% of locations met the regulator's required standards.
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Yorkshire Water has paid out £1 million to environmental groups in relation to a historic pollution incident caused by a blocked storm overflow. The water company voluntarily offered to pay £500,000 to both the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and to Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust and has completed upgrades to the sewer network in the area worth £1.85 million.
News
Ofgem has permitted the Electricity System Operator (ESO) to delay the release of multiple documents that will form part of its second transitional Centralised Strategic Network Plan. The ESO requested the deferral to give it time to go over the plan with the government and transmission owners and make changes based on their feedback.
News
Ofgem has issued a £1.6 million fine to Shell’s B2B energy arm for “serious overcharging of business customers”. The regulator found that Shell-owned Hudson Energy Supply UK (HES) - now Shell Energy UK - breached 10 licence conditions by outsourcing elements of its day-to-day customer operations without appropriate supervision. Issues found included “serious unjustified overcharging” of customers, as well as failure to return credit refunds owed.  
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